


Good Team

by annaxmims



Series: Tumblr Prompts [123]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Christopher Diaz is a National Treasure, Dyslexia, Dyslexic Evan "Buck" Buckley, Emotions, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:09:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27647309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annaxmims/pseuds/annaxmims
Summary: Tumblr Prompt:Buck hides his dyslexia but when Chris asks for help with homework, Eddie finds out. I really like your style. I would love to read such a story in your writing
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Series: Tumblr Prompts [123]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1626286
Comments: 4
Kudos: 331





	Good Team

He’d hidden it well so far. In school, he was good enough at math and science to offset his struggles with English and language arts. He could scrape by with his homework grades since Maddie could help him read it. 

He didn’t have a traditional, concrete diagnosis, but he had done enough googling to know what it was. Dyslexia.

Words and letters didn’t look right to him. Associating words and sounds had always been hard. Luckily his job didn’t require a lot of that. It was his strengths, helping people, lifting heavy things, and calculated moves. Paperwork was difficult but even though he'd never told him, Bobby knew. Bobby always knew. 

He’d never had to worry about it for most of his adult life. Until Christopher.

He’d inserted himself into Eddie and Christopher’s lives without even realizing it and had quickly become a co-parent to his best friend - now boyfriend’s - child. That meant learning to do the things Eddie had been doing for almost nine years. He tended to deflect to Eddie on major parenting decisions but things like homework were his terrain when Eddie had a different shift.

They were on a strict schedule, for their sake, and Christopher’s. Buck picked him up from school on Monday and Tuesday when he was off. Eddie picked him up on Thursday and Friday when he was off. Every day, as soon as they got home, Christopher would sit at the kitchen table and do his homework while whichever one was home made dinner, or warmed up a casserole Carla had left behind. 

Normally he didn’t need much help. Christopher was a smart kid, and he liked to be independent. He usually just needed them to double-check his calculations on math homework and make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything.

But lately, they’d been reading more difficult books and they’d made a transition into writing. Christopher had started to struggle and his teacher had recommended they read to him more at home. What Buck lacked in comprehension and association skills he made up for with funny voices and storytelling ability. 

However, he felt like he couldn’t help Christopher the way he needed. Trying to help him piece together words for his responses was difficult and it only left both him and Chris frustrated.

“You know what bud, just wait until your dad gets home okay?”

“But we’re not done.”

“I know kiddo but I think your dad can help you more than I can. Finish up everything else and Dad will help you after dinner.”

Christopher nodded and pulled out a science worksheet, pushing his English work to the side.

Buck went back into the kitchen to check the pizza he’d put in the oven, then leaned against the counter and pulled out his phone.

“Hey baby,” Buck could hear the white noise of the firehouse behind him.

“Hey.”

“You okay? You sound off.”

“I’m good. Christopher needs your help with some homework stuff when you get home, I can’t figure it out.”

“Okay babe, I’ll handle it.”

“When are you gonna be home?”

“I’m packing up now. Fifteen, twenty minutes at the most.”

“Okay. I love you.”

“I love you too Buck.”

Buck hung up and placed his phone on the counter and dropped his head into his hands.

“Buck?”

Christopher was standing in the doorway, looking at him with concern. 

“Yeah, buddy?”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m okay. Just tired.”

“Okay,” he moved closer, laying a piece of paper in front of him. “Will you check this?”

“Of course.”

Buck grabbed a pencil and went through the paper, circling anything wrong.

“Good job buddy, go try those two again and then wash up for dinner. Dad is almost home.”

“Okay.”

He heard the scratch of his pencil for a few minutes, then the sound of him packing up his backpack and taking it upstairs.

He came back down just as Eddie came in the door.

“Hi, Dad.”

“Hey mijo,” Eddie lifted him into a hug then sat him down again. “How was school?”

“Good. I need your help with some English though.”

“We’ll work on it after dinner. Go set the table.”

“Okay.”

Eddie found Buck in the kitchen and wrapped his arms around his waist.

“Hi baby,” he kissed the back of his neck and rested his chin on his shoulder.

“Hey,” Buck turned to kiss him before going back to plating the pizza.

“Do you need any help?” Eddie pulled away and leaned on the counter next to him. 

“Will you get drinks?”

“You got it.”

Eddie pulled three glasses from the cabinet and filled them with lemonade and brought them to the table.

They all took turns talking about their days before Christopher dominated the conversation with his excitement for his field trip to the aquarium next week.

When dinner was eaten and the dishes were done, Eddie sat down at the table with the English homework and he and Christopher finished it in under ten minutes.

“Oh, that was easy. Thanks, Dad.”

“No problem kiddo. Go get a shower and then we can watch some tv before bedtime.”

“Okay.”

Christopher made his way up the stairs and Eddie waited until the shower was running before turning to Buck.

“What’s going on? You seem off today.”

“I’m fine.”

“Babe don’t pull that,” Eddie grabbed his hand. “Tell me what’s going on”

“I couldn’t help Christopher with his homework even though it was easy.”

“Buck you’ve been on homework duty for six months. I’ve been doing it for years.”

“But it’s easy. I’m an adult, I should be able to do it. But I’m dyslexic so I can’t.”

“You never told me that.”

“I don’t have a professional diagnosis, you know my parents wouldn’t have gone for that. But I figured it out. I had a hard time learning to read. Words don’t make sense to me. Maddie read me all of my homework; that’s the only reason I scraped by.”

“You know it’s nothing to be ashamed of right? Your brain is wired differently, that’s not your fault.”

“I can’t even help Christopher with his fourth-grade homework.”

“Yeah, I can’t help him with math. They changed how you do math and I don’t understand it but you do. We both have our strengths, Buck.”

Buck nodded and leaned his head on Eddie's shoulder.

“I just have a GED babe, when he gets to calculus you’re on your own.”

“Your faith in me is astounding.”

“It’s my job to have faith in you.”

“I love you,” Buck leaned up to kiss him.

“I love you too.”

“We make a good team,” Buck said snuggling in closer.

“Damn right.”


End file.
